Hidden Shadow – CH 047

Chapter Forty-Seven: Murder

“What should we do?” Ling-Xi asked in a low voice. “Why would the Hua family suddenly propose marriage to the Mei family?”

The structure of the Konghe Army was a military secret. Even the Mei family, being part of the Konghe Army, could not fully name all their families. This information was compiled into a secret genealogy, personally overseen by the Emperor. Marriages among these families require the Emperor’s approval.

The Hua family should be unaware of the Mei family’s background. If they did, and still proactively proposed a marriage alliance, it would be nothing short of treacherous. If the Emperor found out, it would be detrimental to the Hua family.

“Do you think His Majesty trusts the Hua family now?” The First Old Madam stroked the fox fur wrapped around the brazier, her expression calm and serene. “The Hua family’s current situation is similar to the Mei family’s. They merely want to use the Mei family as a stepping stone in their retreat.”

“So, the Hua family knows about the Mei family’s background? Should this matter be reported to the higher-ups?” Ling-Xi did not understand the intricacies of the situation, but she knew this was a very serious matter.

“Let’s observe for a while longer,” the First Old Madam said.

…

The sky was overcast, as if brewing another heavy snowfall; it darkened early.

An Jiu had exerted considerable mental strain controlling her body during such a rapid movement and had been in a deep sleep since the First Old Madam left.

Yao-Ye returned to Yuwei Residence and woke her. “My Young Lady, you should go to your secret studies today.”

Mei Jiu woke up, responded groggily, and sat on the couch, lost in thought for a while.

Yao-Ye took a damp cloth to wipe her face. “My Young Lady, did the First Old Madam give you any trouble?”

“Hmm?” Mei Jiu thought blankly for a long time before saying, “I fell asleep.”

Yao-Ye calmly felt Mei Jiu’s pulse. “It’s good that you are alright. My Young Lady has missed many times already; I wonder if she can handle it now.”

“I will not let Mother down,” Mei Jiu said, her expression darkening.

Mei Jiu was like a snail; her mother’s departure felt like losing its shell. An overwhelming sense of panic and fear gripped her heart. For ordinary women, the greatest wish was simply to marry into a good family. She had no such opportunity, so she felt utterly lost about the future.

After tidying herself up, Mei Jiu had a simple dinner, and then a black-clad woman came to fetch her.

The snowy night was desolate, and Mei Jiu silently followed behind her. Although there were clearly two people, only the sound of Mei Jiu’s footsteps on the snow could be heard.

“She will be alright,” the black-clad woman said.

Mei Jiu paused.

The black-clad woman’s eyes flickered slightly; she glanced at her but said nothing more.

Last time, An Jiu had gone to the secret training in Mei Jiu’s place. She did not know what had happened and felt quite uneasy, so after getting into the carriage, she could not help but seek some support. “An Jiu?”

“Get lost,” An Jiu said.

She received a response. Mei Jiu felt she was not alone, and only after feeling slightly relieved did she realize there were five other people in the carriage. The women from the second branch of the family. And Mei Rujian.

Mei Tingyuan glared at her fiercely. “Stop making that bullied face of yours! Disgusting!”

The dagger was well-hidden in the mass grave; it was impossible to obtain without considerable skill. Coupled with witnessing An Jiu’s treatment of Mei Rujian that day, Mei Tingyuan was convinced that Mei Jiu’s usual pitiful act masked a formidable nature.

“Do not speak,” Mei Tingzhu said in a deep voice.

“None of your business! Mind your own business!” Mei Tingyuan said coldly.

Mei Jiu was slightly surprised. Was Mei Tingyuan not usually very obedient to Mei Tingzhu? How had she changed so much in such a short time?

“Is that how you speak to your sister?” Mei Tingjun scolded in a low voice.

Mei Tingyuan sneered. She said mockingly, “What, now you think you can bother with me? What were you two doing when I was in danger?”

Mei Jiu lowered her eyes, staring at her toes, pretending they were not there.

Mei Tingchun tried to ease the tension. “Why did you come this time, Elder Brother?” Mei Rujian asked.

Mei Rujian’s foot injury had not fully healed; what could he be doing here? Everyone was curious.

“I do not know either. Just as I was about to retire for the night, someone from the Dark School came to fetch me, saying it was the Grand Madam’s order.” Mei Rujian had never met the Grand Madam, but he knew that the Mei family’s Dark School was founded by her, and she was a woman of her word.

Mei Tingchun said, “We’ve had so many lessons these past few days, mostly training our agility in the dark. It seems we will have to change our lessons today.”

Training in agility in the dark requires strong movement, something Mei Rujian clearly could not participate in.

Mei Tingchun leaned over to look at Mei Jiu. “Fourteenth Young Lady, how did you get the dagger last time? Can you tell me?”

Mei Jiu had no idea how she got the dagger!

She stammered for a long time, unable to come up with an answer, but Mei Tingyuan interjected, “Can someone who’s just putting on an act tell you the truth?”

No one answered. Mei Tingchun waited a while, and seeing that Mei Jiu did not intend to reply, he leaned back against the carriage wall.

The carriage traveled for about an hour before stopping.

The group alighted and found themselves at the foot of a mountain. Through the snow-covered landscape, a dark building was clearly visible a hundred paces away.

The buildings were unremarkable in appearance, but they were built in a continuous stretch, occupying a large area. It was unclear what kind of dwelling it was, built in such a desolate place.

The group walked through the snow, except for Mei Rujian, who was carried on the back of a black-clad man.

When they stopped before the gate, they gasped in shock upon seeing the two characters on the plaque.

It was a mortuary!

“This is a mortuary secretly built by the imperial court, exclusively for the use of the various families of the Konghe Army,” the leader of the black-clad men said, lightly knocking on the door knocker.

The gate opened silently, and the black-clad man went in first, followed by the others.

Seeing that everyone had gone inside, and only darkness and emptiness were behind them, Mei Jiu quickly ran into the courtyard.

The mortuary was a unique structure, its buildings and walls tightly enclosed, allowing almost no light to penetrate. On such a night, it was pitch black.

“An Jiu, An Jiu,” Mei Jiu stammered, her voice breaking the deathly silence as she trembled uncontrollably.

Frightened, Mei Tingyuan clutched Mei Tingchun’s sleeve in terror.

They seemed to have passed through the first room. Many tiny lamps flickered on the walls, casting overlapping shadows, creating an even more eerie atmosphere, no better than complete darkness.

“We’ve arrived.” The black-clad man at the front stopped and opened the door. “Please, everyone.”

He stepped aside.

Mei Tingjun, standing at the front, felt a slight sense of relief upon seeing light inside and stepped forward.

“Ah!” A soft gasp immediately came from within.

Mei Tingzhu hesitated for a moment, then followed.

Mei Jiu’s legs trembled so badly she could barely stand, and she burst into tears.

Unable to do anything else, An Jiu silently channeled her consciousness to control her body and enter the room.

Feeling the powerful force, Mei Jiu’s panic subsided slightly, but upon seeing the contents of the room, her eyes rolled back, and she fainted!

An Jiu naturally filled the void left by her.

Previously, controlling her body required considerable effort, but over time, it became easier. Now, she did not need to consciously control it; as soon as Mei Jiu lost consciousness, she could automatically fill the void. This discovery finally brought An Jiu some comfort. Therefore, she did not dwell on Mei Jiu’s unconsciousness.

The contents of the room seemed unremarkable to An Jiu, merely two recently deceased bodies. It was the masked man under the dim light who caught her attention.

“Nice to meet you.” A warm, gentle voice dispelled all the gloom.

It was him!

The man she met while herding sheep. Based on Mei Yanran’s guess, was he not a member of the Konghe Army?

The masked man stood with his hands behind his back. “I am the Deputy Envoy of the Divine Strategy Team of the Konghe Army. For the next six months, I will be in charge of teaching you all. You may address me as ‘Deputy Envoy’ or ‘Teacher.'”

The crowd was unaware of the rank of “Deputy Envoy of the Divine Strategy Team,” but it sounded quite high.

The masked man unfurled a scroll and hung it on the wall.

An Jiu looked up. She was startled to see a human anatomy diagram! This diagram differed somewhat from those of later generations; it primarily depicted meridians, and the organs were drawn mainly to help people pinpoint acupoints.

“I will not teach you martial arts,” the masked man said in a clear, gentle voice, “I will only teach you how to take lives more easily.” He ignored the expressions on the crowd’s faces. He continued, “In a life-or-death struggle, speed means life, and slowness means death. The Konghe Army has inscribed a blood-stained motto with countless bones—strive to kill the opponent with a single blow. Therefore, knowing the weaknesses of the human body is an ability that every Shadow must have etched into their bones.”

The Deputy Envoy of the Divine Strategy Team said, “The ears, back of the head, neck, ribs, waist, and groin. These areas, whether attacked with palms, fists, or sharp blades, can be fatal if the force is sufficient. Of course, these areas are relatively easy to defend, and if the opponent is highly skilled, they will not give you any opportunity. Therefore, we need a clearer understanding of the human body.”

“There are 702 acupoints on the human body, 108 of which are vital points. Of these 108, 72 are not fatal, but the remaining 36 can be fatal with just 30% of one’s internal energy.”

He said quite casually, “With so many weaknesses, killing is really easy, is it not?”

Humans were so contradictory; life was so tenacious, yet so fragile.

“I presume you all learned these techniques at home, so I will not elaborate.” He walked to the stone platform where the two corpses lay.

No one saw where he drew a short sword. “Today, we will begin with the six vital points.”

He placed the short sword in An Jiu’s hand. “You begin. Choose one vital point to strike.”

An Jiu frowned. This man was deliberately trying to cause her trouble, but she was too lazy to say anything. She took the sword and plunged it viciously into the center of the corpse’s throat without even blinking.

An Jiu’s action terrified the others, turning them pale. Although they had practiced martial arts since childhood, they had never laid a knife on a person. Mei Rujian was especially terrified. During his recovery, he had repeatedly regretted being threatened by An Jiu and acting like a coward, but now he was thankful that he did not have the guts to fight back!

“A swift and decisive strike, excellent,” he commented, slowly drawing his short sword and handing it to Mei Tingzhu. “You take this.”

Mei Tingzhu’s fingers trembled slightly, but she took the sword defiantly, gritting her teeth as she plunged it into the corpse’s left rib.

“It needed to be an inch to the right; the deviation was a bit too large, but the strike was swift and clean. Good,” the Deputy Envoy of the Divine Strategy Team commented.

The short sword was now in Mei Tingjun’s hand. The stench of blood filled the room. Mei Tingyuan, seeing the blood gushing from the corpse, could not help but cover her mouth and run outside.

“Follow her. If she runs out of the courtyard, kill her.” The Deputy Envoy of the Divine Strategy Team spoke calmly, as if discussing a beautiful night with a gentle breeze and bright moon.